[Archived] Rovers Vs Sunderland - Dec 28Th Preview (Well Sort Of...)

[John]

Did not realise Sunderland had 9 first teamers out today, according to Steve Bruce.

[RibbleValleyRover]

2-1 down, 3 changes and a goal - some credit must be given!

At the same criticism must be accepted as we didn't turn up until the 52nd minute when Bent scored. We were playing a Sunderland side that was plagued with injuries to key players and their away form was shocking, the players should have been up for this game from the get-go.

[ABBEY]

So it is good enough hughsie ?

[AggyBlue]

It was still aimless punts ..we should of won and should of lost..the goals papeered over cracks .

Well I've not been up and down off my seat as much as in the 2nd half today for yonks.

Even started singing again.

[Guest Kamy100]

Abbey - Maybe not won for many games - but under Ince we conceded 3 at wigan in 20 mins - not this time. He has also taken us to 7 straight defeats - again not the case again.

2-1 down, 3 changes and a goal - some credit must be given!

5 points out of 24 tells it's own story, we have been poor for the majority of the season, it is an improvement on Ince but then again anything would be an improvement on Ince. The last 5 games are some of the worst football that I have ever seen from a Rovers team boring and predictable, players are programmed like robots to do certain actions, there is no deviation from those action/tactics, even if Samba had scored at the end of the game and we had won it would still have been papering over the cracks. The simple truth is that last season people accepted the football on show because Sam took over in challenging circumstances and turned things round, this year it was right to expect the team to develop, it hasn't, we have started to go backwards. Sam has to shoulder some of the blame because ultimately he is the one who picks the team, he is the one who sets the tactics and he is the one who signed players in the summer, he knew after letting Tuguy go that there was a desperate need to sign a midfielder, instead we signed three full backs, these decisions are now coming back to bite us.

[Tom]

So it is good enough hughsie ?

Some people seem to be a lot more positive than others RIML and Hughesy being prime examples, each to their own but for me the glass is certainly half empty.

[dillhallblue]

5 points out of 24 tells it's own story, we have been poor for the majority of the season, it is an improvement on Ince but then again anything would be an improvement on Ince. The last 5 games are some of the worst football that I have ever seen from a Rovers team boring and predictable, players are programmed like robots to do certain actions, there is no deviation from those action/tactics, even if Samba had scored at the end of the game and we had won it would still have been papering over the cracks. The simple truth is that last season people accepted the football on show because Sam took over in challenging circumstances and turned things round, this year it was right to expect the team to develop, it hasn't, we have started to go backwards. Sam has to shoulder some of the blame because ultimately he is the one who picks the team, he is the one who sets the tactics and he is the one who signed players in the summer, he knew after letting Tuguy go that there was a desperate need to sign a midfielder, instead we signed three full backs, these decisions are now coming back to bite us.

Spot on Kamy100, couldn't have put it better myself. Today was absolutley s**t, i've had enough of it, i'm actually going now because i feel i'm obliged to, i dont enjoy it one bit, its becoming a chore !!!

I've said to myself i'm going to go to both semi's & then thats it !!!!

The brand of football the manager is supplying is totally s**t & its such a shame because when the shackles are taken off this team they are very good to watch and so entertaining i.e Chelsea at home in the cup

[bubblerrovers]

It's a hard pill to swallow, yes we're a terrible football team, But what can we do?? We don't have any creative footballers so what's the point trying too play football, look at west brom last year. I think us fans should just get behind the team as premiership football at ewood won't be around for too much longer.

[AggyBlue]

each to their own but for me the glass is certainly half empty.

Compared to some of the seasons some have seen, the glass is most certainly near the top.

You obviously weren't around in the dark days of the seventies.

If you've only climbed aboard in the last twenty years then I can understand your viewpoint of the glass being half empty.

My kids have both been going less than twenty years and are both peed off with our predicament.

[Steve Moss]

It's a hard pill to swallow, yes we're a terrible football team, But what can we do?? We don't have any creative footballers so what's the point trying too play football, look at west brom last year. I think us fans should just get behind the team as premiership football at ewood won't be around for too much longer.

We'll be ok. We aren't as bad as a half dozen other squads, and this summer is shaping up to be a big one for us. If we make the right moves, including a creative midfielder or two, then we'll be fine. And Sam has a reputation to uphold, which means keeping us up. He'll do the job.

[JAL]

After watching him over the past two games what does Junior Hoilet offer to the Rovers 1st team.

Cant see anything, at first I thought pace but over the last two games dont think hes beaten his full back once.

[stuwilky]

After watching him over the past two games what does Junior Hoilet offer to the Rovers 1st team.

Three or four comedy airshots?

[JAL]

Three or four comedy airshots?

The public was led to believe he was our Defoe early season !

[grizfoot]

After watching him over the past two games what does Junior Hoilet offer to the Rovers 1st team.

Cant see anything, at first I thought pace but over the last two games dont think hes beaten his full back once.

He can dribble at players and cause problems which is something not many of our players can offer. He definitley needs to work on his shooting though, there was those two poor misses against Chelsea in the cup and the shot today where he completely missed the ball. He should play every game if possible in the league for me because Diouf and Pedersen are too similiar and whenever they are both in the team together we lack any sort of pace in the wide areas.

[JAL]

He can dribble at players and cause problems which is something not many of our players can offer. He definitley needs to work on his shooting though, there was those two poor misses against Chelsea in the cup and the shot today where he completely missed the ball. He should play every game if possible in the league for me because Diouf and Pedersen are too similiar and whenever they are both in the team together we lack any sort of pace in the wide areas.

Diouf and Pedersen as poor as they have been, have put the ball in the net. At the end of the day with assists and their goals they've been far more effective than little Hoilet has and for me will ever be.

[JAL]

Watching Motd, Chimbonda was extremely poor and Samba was an out an out Donkey with Robbo yet again the invisible goalkeeper.

[RIML]

As for today - Nelsen at Fault AGAIN (3rd game in a row) for the crucial goal...........how many times should he get away with it?

It looked that way from where I was stood too but just watched the replay and Nelsen was nowhere near Bent, if anything Samba was the closest player to him, still think Robinson should have done better he wasn't even in the centre of the goal, his positioning was poor.

[JAL]

It looked that way from where I was stood too but just watched the replay and Nelsen was nowhere near Bent, if anything Samba was the closest player to him, still think Robinson should have done better he wasn't even in the centre of the goal, his positioning was poor.

Spot on RIML, Robinson could have done alot better with both goals especially the goalmouth scramble and Samba was ther man marking Bent.

[Hughesy]

So it is good enough hughsie ?

No it isnt - but it is far from as bad as some make out.

We need more improvements, such as a creative midfielder & our strikers to start hitting the net - but overall I think we are going in the right direction.

The last 5 games are some of the worst football that I have ever seen from a Rovers team boring and predictable, players are programmed like robots to do certain actions, there is no deviation from those action/tactics, even if Samba had scored at the end of the game and we had won it would still have been papering over the cracks.

The simple truth is that last season people accepted the football on show because Sam took over in challenging circumstances and turned things round, this year it was right to expect the team to develop, it hasn't, we have started to go backwards.

Sam has to shoulder some of the blame because ultimately he is the one who picks the team, he is the one who sets the tactics and he is the one who signed players in the summer, he knew after letting Tuguy go that there was a desperate need to sign a midfielder, instead we signed three full backs, these decisions are now coming back to bite us.

No deviation? 4-5-1, 4-4-2, 4-3-3............

Papering over the cracks? No Samba's post and Benni's overhead at Wigan and maybe Kalinic v Liverpool would be papering over the cracks as we would be sat on 27pts and sat in 9th.

As we stand I think the cracks are being shown....and we havent got that bit of luck to paper over the cracks. I mean we hadnt scored at home for 5 hours before today and we havent won for 8, yet we still sit 13th! Does that not tell you that we are improving and that once we click we are not far of a 10th placed team.

How have we started to go backwards?! Please give me facts, not fiction...

It looked that way from where I was stood too but just watched the replay and Nelsen was nowhere near Bent, if anything Samba was the closest player to him, still think Robinson should have done better he wasn't even in the centre of the goal, his positioning was poor.

I just watched it again.

Samba was indeed closest...however why was Nelsen about 10 yards infront of their striker, leaving just Samba?!

Robbo should of dropped further to his line as Samba had started to take BEnt wider and was closing on him. Poor keeping there!

[Seedstral]

No, you simply can't chop and change your team that much. Consistency is important, especially when we need them to develop an understanding. If he gives Roberts-Benni a run for a while I'll understand, but it's more than likely that next game we'll see another combination. Makes no sense.

How does it make no sense the forward line as misfired all season for us and if we stuck at 1 partnership for a number of games and it still didn't work no doubt you'd be 1 of the 1st on here calling the manager for not changing things. Either way most fans would never be happy so hes in a no win situation.

[Tom]

Compared to some of the seasons some have seen, the glass is most certainly near the top.

You obviously weren't around in the dark days of the seventies.

If you've only climbed aboard in the last twenty years then I can understand your viewpoint of the glass being half empty.

My kids have both been going less than twenty years and are both peed off with our predicament.

Well I only climbed onto this mortal coil 25 years ago but have been a season ticket holder all but the first 5 years.

It's not our league postion or predicament that worries me it's our approach to the game by our manager, all this try to scrape a 0-0 and dare to dream of a goal from a set piece is disheartening.

[LDRover]

I seem to recall a flooding wave of optimism regarding the games to come following the win at Bolton and how they were all winnable and that we were set for the top half etc. So now I find it unbelievable that there are still some on here who think we're doing OK even though we've gone on to win precisely none of those games and are serving up some of the worst football in living memory. It's impossible to put a positive spin on it, results are bad and performances are worse.

We need 20 points to be safe and I'm hard pushed to see where they'll come from. Looking at our home fixtures the next 5 are absolutely crucial as the last 4 are against Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U so points from those is a tough ask. So if, and let's face it we won't, win our next 5 at home we still need to beg steal or borrow 5 more points away from home and given our abysmal away form that's no gimme.

It's going to be one hell of a struggle to stay up make no mistake and I can't say I'm optimistic.

One more thing, does Sam get cut so much slack because of the mess he inherited? Cos what I'm watching is unbelievably bad.

[Seedstral]

Not read any so far ,but that 1st half how bad was it..so the expert is two games away from expertly equalling the same winnless streak as ince....I watched chim ordered back instead of running down the wing.andrews and jr same.

.robbo punts aimlessly and we lose possesion...same with mgp throws....2 bad teams...I didn't boo I yawned..zzzzam is killing footy

Go and watch our claret friends down the road then as they apparently play good football!!

[Tom]

As I said LDRover, when the fixtures were released, most people thought we'd win a good 3-4 of those fixtures, as such we haven't performed at all in what is by far our easiest period of the season

Just watching MOTD, Robbo was awful for the first goal, really poor goalkeeping

Edit - and for the second goal

[dazmaz]

Well I only climbed onto this mortal coil 25 years ago but have been a season ticket holder all but the first 5 years.

It's not our league postion or predicament that worries me it's our approach to the game by our manager, all this try to scrape a 0-0 and dare to dream of a goal from a set piece is disheartening.

more or less what i said in the sam thread. again away i understand away but at home is pathetic. sam needs to change his mentality, and quick before we sink deeper into the ######.

how andrews didnt hit the target with any of his shots is past me, i bet even i (in the drunken state i am in) could do better.

one has to say pedersens goal was well taken, i mean he actually beat a man, scrap that two men to score and within one min of s'land scoring. and you know things are bad when we rely on diouf and peds scoring to get us a point